Robert Nederhorst (VFX Supervisor on Archetype) shows the entire process on how a shot came to be. He starts at the beginning by creating an HDRI using PTGui and ends with a final composite.

After constructing the HDRI, Rob moves into Maya for shader development and rendering, using VRay to output the various passes and layers for the shot. Once the plate is cleaned up and the 3D character has been color graded and integrated into the shot, he constructs a production “gizmo” to give the artists control over various attributes of the composite. Rob then applies the final touches, like atmospheric effects created using PhoenixFD, film flicker and grain, along with realistic camera shake, lens flares and lens distortion to create the most believable result.